Thermodynamic Process
by sanctum-c
Summary: Ringabel learns a valuable lesson about water heating on a flying ship.


**Ariescelestial: thank you for the feedback and suggestions!**

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"Ringabel!"

Ringabel was sat at the counter of the Drunken Pig, digging into his breakfast with enthusiasm. He stopped eating mid-chew, feeling a little conflicted. On the one hand Edea looking for him was good and spending time in her company was something he always looked forward to. On the other; she sounded pissed off. He turned, swallowing his mouthful too fast; it slipped down his throat with awkward slowness. Edea glared at him, wrapped in a thick dressing gown, her hair a mass of tangles.

"Edea," he greeted her with a shaky voice, regaining certainty as he spoke. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Do you have any idea how long you spent in the shower this morning?"

This was not a question Ringabel expected. "I'm not entirely sure. No longer than normal I would have thought."

"Well, yes, I suppose put like that you are correct. You took about as long as you normally do this morning. An hour."

Ringabel frowned. "Is that bad?"

"Here, yes." She jabbed a finger towards him. "You used all the hot water."

He frowned. "I can't have used all of it. The shower was still hot when I got out." He regretted his response immediately.

"Oh thank you, great and merciful Ringabel for leaving us two minutes of hot water." Edea bowed.

"I used all the hot water?"

"Correct!" Edea snapped in reply as she straightened.

"But... how? You agreed I didn't take any longer than normal."

"Ringabel; every other shower you have taken since we started travelling together has been in an inn. They heat a lot of hot water for their guests. Look around this ship; care to guess what percentage of the population are concerned about heating water?"

Ringabel flicked his eyes around the near deserted tavern. No one else had come in during his meal. The sum total population of the Grand Ship right now was likely under ten.

"You wouldn't ask this question unless it was really low."

"Of course it's really low," Edea scowled. "It's one person. Datz is responsible for heating the water, but he's currently steering the ship."

Apology seemed his best avenue here. Maybe he could use the facilities last in future, or ask Datz to put on a second lot of water. "Ah. I'm dreadfully sorry my dear Edea, I did not realize our resources were so limited."

"Don't even start with that 'dear Edea' stuff now, Ringabel. It's not going to work. Not after everything else."

"Everything else?" He regretted asking, already recalling other rebukes in the preceeding days. The time he had munched through the last packet of biscuits without noticing. And when she found the kitchen cupboard stuffed with dirty crockery. It had been his his turn to help the proprietress with the washing up and elbows deep in soap suds an fantastic idea for a poem had occurred to him. He needed to write it down before he forgot it and by the time he was finished, Tiz had arrived to let him know the others were retiring to the inn to play cards. Not wanting to be left out, Ringabel shoved the unwashed dishes into the cupboard, vowing to sort them the next day. Something he failed to do. Edea's frown intensified.

"Do you really want me to list every little nuisance thing you've done recently?" She glared at him for a further second. "Also, I am not the one you need to apologise to. I thought I was being nice by letting Agnès use the shower first. Because I was worried about water consumption."

Ringabel gulped. "And she...?"

"Yes. I am surprised you couldn't hear the scream from here. When I left her she wasn't sure she would ever be warm again. This is all your fault Ringabel."

He smiled trying to work out the best escape from the situation. "I shall apologize to Agnès forthwith. And I'm sure Tiz would-"

"Yes. You shall. And you're going to make it up to her too."

"Of course. I'm sure I can think of-."

Edea threw something towards him. Ringabel blinked before almost fumbling the catch. The black mage asterisk. He looked up at Edea.

"I'm not quite sure I understand."

"Well, when it became clear we had no hot water left I realized that I had a choice. I could get Datz down from the bridge to sort out heating more water and you could take over for a double shift - if not more - but then I had a better idea. Datz has explained where the water tank is. You're going to provide Agnès with a long, hot shower. And me. And Tiz." She was smiling now. And not in a way that put Ringabel at anything like his ease.

"You want me to heat the water up with this?"

"You got it in one."

Ringabel wondered for a moment if this might turn out to be some kind of nightmare. Maybe he would wake in a moment, remembering to cut down his morning routine and try to avoid this mess. Reality seemed disinclined to cooperate. He sought a new escape route. "Edea, I'm not sure how well that would work. Plus it would be exhausting sustaining a spell for that long."

"Then you'd better finish your breakfast and get all the energy you can." Edea glanced towards the counter. "On second thought, let's not waste any more time." She grabbed the plate, letting the cutlery slide off of it. "You can eat and walk." She snared Ringabel by his stole and dragged him from the tavern, shoving the plate into his hands. Much to his disappointment Edea steered him well clear of their accommodation as he gulped down his breakfast. Safer this way; he had in a moment of, he had to admit, inappropriate fantasy, wondered what his chances were of seeing Agnès in just a towel. It might also have been possible to beg forgiveness from the vestal and side-step what sounded like a tedious chore.

A few streets away from the inn, Edea pushed him into a warehouse. A vast copper vessel hung in the centre, an inactive furnace below it. A network of pipes snaked off in all directions, vanishing into the walls and the deck. It looked like the city drew water down from the roof-tops; pipes lead down from above, some feeding into other holding tanks. Ringabel wondered how many other instances of this technology were in the city.

"Here you go," Edea snatched the plate away, Ringabel only just keeping his last sausage. She strode over to furnace as he wolfed it down and tapped a dial attached to one of the many pipes that erupted from it. "Make sure this does not exceed this temperature," she said, her voice and gestures commanding him to follow to the letter. There was a heavy scratch in the glass of the dial, an obvious critical threshold. "If it's below the line I shall be back down here to have more words. If you let it get above; well, just don't. I don't want Agnès, Tiz or myself to be boiled alive. So you had better be pretty exacting."

She gathered herself up and tightened her sash. "It will take me a few minutes to get back and by that point, Agnès had better have some hot water. So get cracking." She paused at the doorway. "And in case you're thinking this might not be too bad, then I will be forced to tell you that Agnès is very much looking forward to having a long bath later tonight. I'm thinking of joining her and in a somewhat awkward schedule I think Datz has arranged for a night off duty." She smiled without mirth, her voice just about audible as she walked away. "I'll send Tiz down to collect you once you're done."

Ringabel dithered for a moment before heaving a sigh. Best get started. He was not sure how long it would take to heat this much water, and he did not want to have to start using ice magic if it got too hot. That sounded like a tedious juggling of spells to reach the right temperature. He triggered the asterisk, letting the hat and cowl form over him. The first jet of flame did not even budge the gauge's needle. Ringabel concentrated again, aiming a higher level spell at the water. Still nothing. He sighed. He was going to need to do a sustained burst, but not too much. Sucking in a deep breath he cast the spell again, directing its magical energies against the side of the vessel.

It was close to an hour later when Tiz arrived. Ringabel's pompadour was limp and stuck to his sweat streaked skin as he unleashed another blast of fire, eyes fixed on the gauge. "Ringabel?" The haggard figure in the hat and cowl gave a howl of relief, lowering it's arm and collapsing to the deck. Hurrying over, Tiz tried to waft air over the reddened Ringabel who tried to remember what cold air felt like. He tried to coax his exhausted limbs into loosening his clothing. "Come on," said Tiz, hauling him to his feet. "If you want to get cleaned up again, I'll sort the water for you."

"No," Ringabel moaned. "Want cold shower. Don't want to be hot ever again." He wanted to say more, tell Tiz he was grateful for the offer, but his tongue felt thick and awkward, his mouth parched. He limped in silence as Tiz helped him back round to the inn and merciful, cold water.


End file.
